Reports &

Insights

Community-driven reports and insights on Canada's startup workforce.

MAY 2020

The State of

Startup Talent

Q1 to COVID-19

The demand for skilled talent has captured the nation’s attention. With the arrival of COVID-19, we've sharpened our focus. This report explores the live state of talent demand at Canadian startups and the growing impact of COVID-19 on job creation.

The demand for skilled talent has captured the nation’s attention and the arrival of COVID-19 has only sharpened our focus.

Relying on national job market stats released every few years is not enough; we must start tracking startup talent needs, as they happen. This report does just that by exploring the live state of talent demand at Canadian startups and the growing impact of COVID-19 on job creation within Canada’s fastest-growing companies.

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About

the Report

Using job posting, job seeker, and survey data collected by Prospect from January to April 2020, this report reveals important details about the most recent state of talent demand, and loss, in Canada's tech sector. Through these multi-annual reports, our goal is to use live data to better inform the efforts of founders, people managers, policymakers, educators, and innovation leaders, as they adapt their efforts to meet the demands of a globally competitive market.

The demand for skilled talent has captured the nation’s attention and the arrival of COVID-19 has only sharpened our focus.

Relying on national job market stats released every few years is not enough; we must start tracking startup talent needs, as they happen. This report does just that by exploring the live state of talent demand at Canadian startups and the growing impact of COVID-19 on job creation within Canada’s fastest-growing companies.

Read this report tolearn about:

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What type of skilled workers are most in-demand at Canadian startups?

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Where are Canadian companies hiring, within the country and around the world?​

How has COVID-19 impacted hiring and fundraising plans for Canadian startups and new job creation in the innovation sector?

What are the most recent trends in demand for software engineering, by job function and language?

Report Highlights

New job creation for Canadian startups dropped by 60.9% in April 2020, a signal of COVID-19’s impact.

of Canadian startups have conducted layoffs in the wake of COVID-19, making up 5.5% of the overall workforce.

of job located outside of Canada (with CDN startups) are in the United States.

of Canada’s startup talent demand is in the province of Ontario.

Software Engineers and Sales & Biz Dev. professionals are the most in-demand groups of talent for Canadian startups.

Curious about what else we’ve uncovered? Download the report to access all of the insights.

The demand for skilled talent has captured the nation’s attention and the arrival of COVID-19 has only sharpened our focus.

Relying on national job market stats released every few years is not enough; we must start tracking startup talent needs, as they happen. This report does just that by exploring the live state of talent demand at Canadian startups and the growing impact of COVID-19 on job creation within Canada’s fastest-growing companies.

Partnership.

This report was made possible thanks to the generous contribution of time and support from our Founding Partner, BDC Capital, as well as the in-kind design work contributed by You X Ventures, one of our valued National Partners.

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If you are interested in becoming a sponsor and partner to Prospect, email Marianne at marianne@prospect.fyi.

The demand for skilled talent has captured the nation’s attention and the arrival of COVID-19 has only sharpened our focus.

Relying on national job market stats released every few years is not enough; we must start tracking startup talent needs, as they happen. This report does just that by exploring the live state of talent demand at Canadian startups and the growing impact of COVID-19 on job creation within Canada’s fastest-growing companies.